Potato-digger



4 Sheets-Sheet l.

(No Model.)

N. K. DE LAFLAMB. POTATO BIGGER.

' Patented May 5, 1885.

(No Modell.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 2.

N. K. DE LAPLAME.

POTATO BIGGER.

No. 316,949. Pqtented May 5,1885.

(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 3.

N. K. DE LAFLAME.V

PoTATo BIGGER.

No. 316,949. Patented May 5, 1885.

(No Model.) 4 sheets-Sheet 4. N. K. DE LAFLAME.

POTATOv BIGGER.

No. 316,949. Patented May 5,. 1885. l

F F ICE..

PATENT NELSON KEMENER DE LAFLAME, OF PLATTSBURG, NEW YORK.

POTATO-DIGGER.

SPECIFCATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 316,949, dated May 5, 1885.

Application led July 19, 1884. (No model.)

To all w'hom it may concern:

Be it known thatpl, NnLsoN KEMENER :DE

4 LAFLAME, a citizen of the United States, re-

siding at Plattsburg, in the county of Clinton and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Potato- Diggers, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings. Y l

My improvements consist in certain novel features of construction and arrangement which will first be described, and afterward particularly pointed out in the claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is aside elevation of a machine embodying my improvements. Fig. 2 is a top plan View thereof. Fig. 3 is atransverse vertical section on the line x x of Fig. I. Fig. fi is a detached detail view of the scoop or plow. Fig. 5 is a detail view showing means for rotating the axle when the machine is moved forward. Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the main machine detached from the assorting attachment.V

The same letters refer to like or corresponding part-s in all the gures.

A A are the carrying-wh eels,journaled upon the ends of an axle, B, and engaging therewith in their advancing movement, so as to cause it to revolve by means of the springbecking ratchets C, which may be of the usual or any preferred construction. Mounted on this axle are two strong vertical brackets, D, formed at their lower ends with suitable j ournal -bearings and removable caps d, bolted thereto, through which the axle B passes freely, and at their upper ends the brackets Dare bolted to the main frame E.

F is the drivers seat; G, the draft-pole.

The frame E is provided with rigid hangers H,`one at each side, near the rear end, said hangers furnishing bearings for spindles z' of the rear roller of the gathering-belt N. Hung freely from the spindles t' are the suspendingarms k, to ,which the rear ends of the side guards, K,`are rigidly secured, while their forward ends are rigidly united by the scoop or plow, and are provided at each side of the machine with a rigid arm, M, curved upon an arc concentric with spindles t' i, and having gearteeth formed on their outer edges that are engaged by small pinions Z l, rigidly secured at each end of a shaft, L, journaled transversely beneath the frontend of the main frame. A drum, Z', is secured upon one end of this shaft, preferably the right-hand side, inside of the hanger supporting that end of the shaft, and upon this drum is wound a cha-in or cord, l2, the other end of which is attached to a handlever, Q, which is secured at any desired point of adjustment by means of a spring-pawl, g, engaging a curved rack, R. By this means the driver is enabled to adjust the plow and gatherer any required height, both sides being raised simultaneously and equally.

The forward roller, l', of the gathering-belt N has its bearings in boxes Si, adj ustably secured to thek forward ends of two curved arms, S, the rear ends of which are hung upon the spindles 'L' of the rollers l. The arms S are downwardly curved to pass under the axle.

In order to insure the equal rise and fall of arms S to maintain the roller l in planes parallel to that of the plow and grate, I provide a small shaft, T, journaled at each end in one of the arms S, between the axle B and the roller l. On this small shaft, at each end thereof, are keyed two pinions, s s, which engage at equal heights the two racks M M', rigidly secured to the side guards and curved upon the arc of circles concentric with spindles t' t', so that both arms S are compelled to rise and fall simultaneously and equally, and maintain the relation of the gathering-belt` to the plow and grate as said parts are adj usted up or down. 4

Sustaining-rollers U for the scoop and gatherer are journalcd to the lower ends of arms u u, at each side, which are adjustably secured by means of set-screws to the lower portions of rack-arms M. These adjustable rollers prevent the scoop from running too deep into the ground, and also determine the depth to which thescoop operates when in operation.

The scoop or plow Vis formed as a thick fiat blade with a front cutting-edge beveled on the under side, curving forward from the sides to forni a rounded forwardly-projecting edge in the middle, as shown. On the upper surface of this portion is formed a pointed7 angular, V-shaped dividing ridge, W, pre- ICO senting obliquely-inclined faces at each side, l

and rising rearwardly as well as increasing in width, so as to more completely break up the material. This form of plow acts in the manner of a wedge, breaking up and dividing the l bell-crank earth, and so preparing it for the operation of the belt and grate. The rear face of this ridge is sloped off rearwardly upon a curve concentric with the sweep of the teeth of the gathering-belt.

The inclined gatheringgrate K is composed oflongitudinal rods ofthick wire spaced apart, so as to let the teeth of the gathering-belt pass between them,and are curved upward at their rear ends (not shown in the drawings) to conform to the upward bend of the gathering-belt as it passes over the roller l. Said grate-is preferably made concave in cross-section to throw the potatoes toward the middle, and is attached at its forward end to the bar fr, pivoted at its ends in the side boards, K K, just in rear of the plow V. At its rear end the grate is supported at each side upon the arms y g/ of the transverse rock-shaft Y, the ends of which project through the side guards, K K, and are provided with a second pair ot' rockarms, y y. he ends of these bear against :dat springs Z2 Zsecured to the inclined faces of .lugs or brackets z e, formed on or secured to the upper rear ends of the side guards, K K. It will be seen that if an unusual accumulation of material takes place between the gatheringbelt and the grate the latter will yield downwardly and permit the potatoes to pass without injury.

The gathering-belt N is constructed as a close endless apron ot' canvas, leather, or other suitable material, and provided with round-pointed, L-shaped, elastic sheet-metal teeth 5, the bottom of the L forming the base, whereby the tooth is secured, by rivets or otherwise, to the belt. They are presented tlatwise to the potatoes,and their round points and elastic yield prevent them from cutting or bruising the potatoes. The teeth 5 are arranged in curved rows concave in the direction of advance, as shown, corresponding in some degree to the form of the front edge of the plow, and c0- operating with the eoncavity of the grate to gather the potatoes from each side of the ridge NV toward the middle, while said teeth, being ot' a length to project between the bars of the grate to some extent at the sides, compensate for its concavity and prevent the escape back to the front of any potatoes. For operating this gathering-belt a pinion, Q', Vis keyed upon the right-hand end of the shaft, having the spindles t' of the upper roller outside of the hanger H. This pinion meshes with a large internal-gear wheel, 3, mounted loosely upon the axle between the main frame and the righthand carrying-wheel, and is formed with a clutch-faced hub, 4. A-clutch-faced collar, 8,

engaging the axle, so as to revolve therewith, by means of a rib, groove, or spline, permitting it to slide back and forth on the axle, so as to engage or disengage the hub of the internal-gear wheel, 3, is controlled by means of a ring, 6, surrounding the collar,`and a rod, 7, sliding back andV forth in bearingsV on the brackets D. This rod is connected with a footlever, F, nearly under the drivers seat, by means of a rod, 8', and lever 9, so that the gathering-belt may be thrown into and out of operation at will by the drivers foot by causing the engagement or disengagement ofthe axle and the internal gear-wheel,3.

At the left-hand side of the machine, on the projecting end of the shaft z', is keyed a pulley, 10, which is designed for communicating motion by a belt to a cleaning and sorting attachment used under some circumstances. The cleaning and sort-ing attachment is mounted on a supplementall frame comprising two pairs of upwardly and downwardly curved arms, a a', detachably bolted to the upper and under sides of the rear endspf the side bars of the main frame by means of through bolts and nuts, as shown, and a pair of horizontal sills, b, similarly bolted to the rear ends of the downwardly-curved pairs of arms a', and supported upon a pair of caster-wheels, c c. The horizontal sills I) carry a platform, b.

Journaled upon the lower and upper arms a a of this supplemental frame are rollers, that carry a toothed belt, e, similar to the gathering-belt N, said pulleys being driven from the pulley l0, before mentioned. (See Fig. l.) The teeth of this belt e sweep up a steeply-inclined floor, f, formed of a series of rods similar to the grate X, the curved lower end, f', of which is connected with the gathering-grate by hooking the bent ends of its component rods over the cross-rod l2 at the upper end of the said gathering-grate K, and between the component rods of the grate X, as shown in Fig. l.

Upon the outer ends ofthe upwardly-curved arms a are rigidly secured two horizontal bars, b2, in which arejournaled two rollers, 16 and 17, that carrya horizontal toothed endless apron, e. Two vertical standards, b, extend upwardlyfrom the arms a, in which is journaled a toothed roller, bt. The apron e moves in a direction opposite to that of the belt E, it being driven by a lcrossed belt from the upper roller of said toothed belt e, while the toothed roller bt rotates in the direction of the arrow m in Fig. l. The potato tops and stalks, which are brought up by the teeth ofthe belt e, are received by this toothed roller and apron and delivered out beyond the tail ofthe machine, while the potatoes roll out from the teeth of the elevator-belt upon an inclined grate. The smaller potatoes fall through and are conducted by the hopper o beneath into the receptacle w, while the larger roll over the tail of the grate through the hopper o2 into the receptacle w. More than two sorts or grades may be made, if desired, by having additional grates and receivers.

It is to be understood that this attachment may be dispensed with when the machine is used in stony ground or elsewhere when its use is not desired. In this case a converging spout may be attached at the rear end of the gathering-grate and the potatoes delivered in a row upon the ground.

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Modifications in details of construction may be made without departing from the principle or sacrificing the advantages of my invention; and I would therefore have it understood that I hold myself at liberty to make such changes and alterations as fairly fall within the scope of my invention.

Having thus fully described my invention,

what I claim, vand desire to secure by Letters' Patent of the United States, is-

1. In a potato-digger, the main frame mounted upon an axle adapted to be rotated by the forward movement of the carrying wheels, the rear roller of the gathering-belt journaled in hangers depending from the rear end of the main frame, the forward roller of the gathering-belt journaled in the forward ends of arms pivoted to and extending from the journals of the rear rollers, and the gathering-belt, in combination with the plow or scoop pivotally connected at its rear end to the journals of the rear roller of the gathering-belt, and adapted to be adjusted at its forward end nearer to or farther from the frame, and means, substantially as described, for adjusting the forward roller of the gathering-belt nearer to or farther from the plow or scoop, as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In a potato-digger,the main frame mounted upon suitable carrying-wheels, the rear roller of the gathering-belt journaled in hangers depending from the frame at the rear thereof, the side, arms pivoted to the journals ofthe rear roller and forming bearings at their forward ends for the j ournals of the forward roller of the gathering-belt, the gathering-belt provided with teeth and supported andoperated by the rollers, the shaft extending from one to the other of the forward roller-supporting arms journaled in said arms and provided at each end with pinions, in combination With rack-arms extending upwardly from the side guards of a plow or scoop, pivotally connected to the journals of the rear roller of the carrying-belt and having its forward end adjustable nearer to or farther from the frame, substantially as described, and for the purpose set forth.

3. In a potatodigger,a main frame mounted upon carryingwheels adapted to be clutched with and thereby rotate the axle in their forward movements, said frame pivotally connected at its rear end to a combined grate and plow or scoop located beneath theframe and having its forward end adjustable nearer to or farther from the frame, in combination with the gathering-belt supported and operated by rollers journaled in hangers depending from the frame, and inside arms,pivoted at their rear ends to said hangers, and means located below the main frame, substantially as described, for adjusting the belt nearer to or farther from said grate and plow, as and for the purpose set forth.

4. In a potato-digger, a frame supported upon an axle journaled incarrying-wheels, and provided at its rear end with depending hangers in which is journaled the rear roller of the gathering-belt, in combination with the combined grate and plow or scoop located below and pivotally connected to the journals vof the rear roller ofthe carrying-belt, and provided at its forward end with upward1y-pro-f`-,

jecting curved rack-arms concentric with the journals of said rear roller of the gatheringbelt, pinions engaging said rack-arms and mounted upon a shaft journaled to the forward end of the frame, and guide-wheels adjustably connected to the lower end of the said curved arms, substantially as described, and for the purpose set forth.

5. In a potato-digger, the combination of the gathering-belt mounted upon suitable rollers, the side guards of the plow or scoop, the grate pivoted at its forward end in said guards, with a rock-shaft extending from one to the other of said guards,and provided with means, substantially as described, for adjustably supporting the rear end ofthe grate and permit it to yield when under too great pressure, as and for the purpose set forth.

6. In a potato-digger, the combination of the gathering-belt mounted upon suitable rollers', the side guards of the plow or scoop, the grate pivoted at its forward endin said guards and resting atits rear end upon spring-pressed rock-arms projecting from a rock-shaft extending from one to the other of andjournaled in said guards and controlled by said rock-arms, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

7. The combination, in a potato-digger, of a yielding grate for receiving the potatoes and a gathering-belt having yielding teeth, substantially as set forth.

8. The combination, with the potato-digger frame and grate, of a supplemental attachment consisting, essentially, of a frame provided with a toothed elevator-belt, a grate for receiving and sorting the potatoes, and a toothed belt and picker for receiving and discharging separately the vines and stalks, substantially as set forth.

9. The combination, with the frame and grate of a potato-digger, of the detachable supplemental frame supported at its rear end upon caster-wheels, and provided with a platform located directly below the asserting-grate to receive removable receptacles for the sorted potatoes, the assortinggrate, the elevator, and means for driving the elevator-belt from the digger, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

10. The combination of the inclined grateioor, the inclined toothed elevating belt, the assorting-grate, the toothed endless apron above the assorting-grate, and the picker above the apron, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

NELSON KEMENER DE LAFLAME.

Witnesses:

ANDREW WILLIAMs, JAs. SHAW, Jr.

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